Crown campaign finds support in Italy and France

13.05.2014

The representatives of the USW Local 9176 members leading a heroic fight in Toronto, Canada against the food and beverage package producer multinational Crown Holdings rendered a visit of solidarity to their colleagues working for the company factories in Italy and France.

The USW delegation including union activists McHugh and Amos met with their colleagues from IndustriALL Italian affiliate FIOM in Modena, and then moved to Spilamberto where the group joined by the Italian activists distributed the campaign leaflets in front of the factory.

The campaign received strong support from the Italian workers, who are now fully aware of all the violations against workers committed by the company in Canada and Turkey. After the action the works councils present at the Crown factories in Italy delivered a joint solidarity statement. FIOM and its membership at Crown plants in Italy have committed to support the struggle of their Canadian and Turkish comrades until their victory.

During their further visit to France the USW members met with the leadership of IndustriALL French affiliate CFDT FGMM who will spread the information about the campaign Take Backs No More at all Crown sites in France where the union has members.

Soon after the visit of the USW delegation IndustriALL learnt about another violation of workers' rights committed by Crown in Turkey.

According to the report received from the IndustriALL Turkish affiliate Birlesik Metal Is management of Crown dismissed four more people at the factory in Izmit and three others at the factory in Osmaniye.

The company accused the Birlesik activists of Izmit of illegally putting union stickers on the cans shipped to the local beer producer Efes. According to the union these allegations are groundless, as the union did not even send stickers to the areas where the above-mentioned Crown factory is located.

The company so far did not provide for any official explanations about the reasons of dismissals in Osmaniye.